The Courage to Be Disliked

The importance of living in the present moment relates to many other tenets of the philosopher’s message in the book, including freedom and capacity to change. It is one of the first concepts that the philosopher explains to the man and one of the last to which he returns before their conversation ends.

When explaining Adler’s rejection of trauma, the philosopher explains, “No matter what has occurred in your life up to this point, it should have no bearing at all on how you live from now on. That you, living in the here and now, are the one who determines your own life” (40). One of the foundations for Adler’s theory is that a person can shape their own life at any point; this belief requires one to move on from the trauma of their past. When one adopts the belief that they can change at any point, each moment becomes powerful. To fully embrace the present moment, one must let go of one’s perceived influence of the past.

Later, when the youth still romanticizes an upward trajectory to his life, the philosopher suggests a different conception, stating, “Seemingly linear existence is actually a series of dots; in other words, life is a series of moments” (246).